Rising of the Phantom Hero
by ROZONROZARK
Summary: Stuck in another world Akira must rise above his challenges to prove what a real hero is.
1. Chapter 1

Falsely accused, again. Once more a false accusation had ruined his reputation and left him alone. But this time he wasn't even left with a scrap of money, or even a familiar place. No this time he was abandoned and left in another world he knew very little about. Before when he had found another world he at least had his soon to be best friends close by. To think that it all began yesterday...

The boy in question was Akira Kurusu, former resident of Japan and yesterday had started like any other for him. After checking up with his friends he had went to the library to study for an upcoming test and return the books he checked out. While there things had gone weird for him when an old book had fallen on him. The book was titled 'Legend of the Four Heroes'.

The book told the tale of the four heroes: hero of the sword, hero of the spear, hero of the bow, and the hero of shield. The four heroes were summoned to that world to help save the world from doom. It was not very interesting and quite generic in his opinion. Though the princess character agitated him due to her actions. As he got a way into the book Akira found that unlike the other heroes, who all had fleshed out chapters explaining who they were, the hero of the shield had nothing. All the pages that should have been about him were blank. This caught him of guard, to think that somehow this book was released in its incomplete state was shocking. 'Maybe it was a misprint and really rare,' Akira thought to himself.

Oh well if he was really curious he could get Futaba to look it up for him. With that final thought he went to put the book back on the self when a wave of dizziness hit him. It felt like back when he would activate the navigation app to take him to the Metaverse. Akira attempted to stay on his but felt his balance start to give out as someone called his name.

When next he opened his eyes he was in a massive stone room surrounded by robed individuals. When he went to get onto his feet he found a small silver shield on his arm with a light green gem in the center with black lines around the edges. After getting to his feet he saw he was surrounded by three other individuals, each holding their own weapons. Akira would learn later that much like him they each came different versions of Japan. The first and youngest was Amaki Ren age 16, the Hero of the Sword. He stood a petite 165cm (roughly), with delicate, sincere features. In fact, he was so pretty you might even mistake him for a girl if he dressed up in drag. His hair was short, with brown streaks. With his long-slitted eyes and light skin, he was the very image of a cool, slender swordsman. Second was Kawasumi Itsuki age 17, the Hero of the Bow. He had curly blonde hair that seemed to do what it wants, not that Akira could judge. He was on the thin side and had an elegant aura about him. The third and oldest was Kitamura Motoyasu, the Hero of the Spear. Though his features were more traditional, he was easily on par with Ren in the looks department. Akira could easily imagine he'd dated two girls at the same time before, it wouldn't surprise him at all. Even his hair was chic, tied back into a long ponytail. It was a feminine cut, but somehow he made it work. All in all, he seemed like a helpful and reliable guy.

They were soon escorted into a castle where the king introduced himself himself. The palace was not on the level of the one belonging to Kamoshida but very little could compare to the Palaces he had seen. The king had then asked them to save the world and give them a basic rundown on how the new world worked, it functioned like a video game… Yes this world had levels and stats, man if only Futaba or Ryuji were here to help him with this stuff. After that he went on to explain that what threatened this world was Waves that came through holes in dimensions to destroy towns and villages. The king made sure to assure them that once the world was safe they would be sent home.

They were then dismissed to a spare room that had been prepared for them. That was when the four Heroes had discovered that they each came from different versions of Japan and Akira had confessed to them about his lack of video game knowledge. While he had played a large number of older games his knowledge about more current games that this world resembled was largely lacking.

When they were called to dinner they were greeted to the sight of a large banquet of food. After the feast and a night of rest they met with the king again who introduced them to twelve adventures who he allowed to pick which hero they wished to go with. This wound up with Ren having five, Motoyasu having four, Itsuki having three, and Akira zero.

This threw him for a loop, after all you would think that at least one of them would want to help him. Then she came in. The girl had long red hair and a great beauty about her. She said she would join as his helper. She introduced herself as Mine Sphere and with her help he was able to locate the weapon shop where they purchased equipment and Akira learned some more bad news. Besides shields he was unable to use any other type of weapons. Meaning the knife and gun he had on him might be useless, things to check out later.

After the equipment shopping they went to the fields outside the castle where they fought slime creatures known as 'Balloons'. At the time Akira was happy to have Mine with him cheering him on. You have to understand that sense arriving on this world Akira has had little to no kindness because of him being the Hero of Shield and knowing so little about the games this world resembles. The king had ignored him to the point where he nearly forgot to get his name. The other Heroes had downplayed him telling him that shield classes were typically 'low tier'. It really wore down on him so you could see why he would trust someone so quick. That was his mistake…

That night when him and Mine went to sleep he thought about his other friends and how they were doing. When he woke up he saw that his armor was gone along with his money and Mine. As he gathered his gear that he had hidden out of old habit he heard the sound of multiple people coming up. Again acting on old instincts he hid as multiple soldiers burst into his room. As Akira hid he watched the soldiers turn his room over looking for him.

"Where is the Shield Demon!" One of them yelled as he threw the bed over. Akira ducked further into the shadows as one of the soldiers glanced up.

"He must have run after having his way with the princess!" Another yelled confusing Akira. Princess? When did he ever encounter a princess? He needed more information and he wasn't going to get it here or from them.

"Come on we need to find that rapist!"

WHAT! Now he needed to know more than ever what happened! After making sure they had left he dropped from the rafters and looked out the window. Seeing his chance he left through it making sure to stay out of sight as he made his way to the palace. While heading there he was able to overhear bits of conversation, and what he heard started to paint a picture so bad it would kill Yusuke if he ever saw it.

Turns out that Mine had framed him for raping her and had thrown herself at Motoyasu while crying her eyes out. This lead him to being branded a criminal. Fun fact by the way turns out Mine wasn't even her real name, she was actually Malty Melomarc the princess of the land, he got that from some guards he overheard. Entering the palace was a bit harder but compared to some other things he had done it was shockingly easy, though avoiding the ninjas was a bit harder. Yes there were ninjas, cause why not. It was then a compilation of Phantom Thief vs Ninjas, which he hoped he won. As he got to one of darker parts of the castle he saw one of the guards from earlier burst in. After informing the king of their failure and begging for forgiveness the king dropped the bombshell.

Turns out King Aultcray could not send him home or kill him due to his status of being a hero. New heroes could only be summoned when all heroes were dead so that was out and he was needed to fight the waves so they couldn't imprison him either. Hearing this Akira was tempted to go down and laugh at them and comfort Malty but thought better of it. His punishment right now was for his crime to be spread throughout the nation. It seems that right now the general attitude towards him was to ignore he was there due to how weak he was.

Letting out a tired sigh Akira made to leave only to stop and look around. He could of sworn he felt someone watching him…

This lead to where he was now, few coins to his name, few old tools on him, and nobody to help him. He was lucky that the weapon shop guy was even willing to lend him anything to wear. Now he is left in the field outside the Kingdom trying to find someplace somewhat peaceful to sleep during the rain. He had tried to find an inn to stay at but was turned away due to being the hero of the shield.

"There you are!" A familiar voice yelled at Akira. Turning he was shocked to see a black cat with white tipped feet and tail approach him. Parts of their fur was matted while spots of dirt clung to their ears. "I am so glad to see you!"

"Morgana?" Akira asked not believing his eyes. The cat's bright blue eyes stare back at him with a happy twinkle in them.

"What do you know of another devilishly good looking talking cat?" They teased while joining him under the tree branch to stay dry. "I was surprised it took me this long to find you though." Absentmindedly Akira reached out his hand to start petting his friend while enjoying be close. "... Hey I heard the rumors about you by the way." Of course he did, couldn't expect any less from him. "I just want to let you know that I still believe in you. There's no way a Great Phantom Thief like you could ever do something like that!" It felt nice to hear someone say that.

"I suppose I should tell you what's going on…" So with some confurt restored Akira told Morgana everything, from his arrival to now. This led to them sitting in silence for a good while.

"You're joking right!" Morgana yelled after hearing the tale. "To think this kingdom would hang you out to dry without even a trail!"

"This is how they do it here I guess."

"Stop sounding so relaxed!" Morgana got up and started pacing back and forth. "Well there's only one thing we can do now! If we want to win then we need to make them sorry that they dropped us so quickly!"

"How you want to do it?" This felt somewhat nostalgic.

"Simple my good friend... " Morgana took a comfortable seat while letting there sentence hang in the air. "We become true Heros and show this country how true gentleman behave and we become as strong as possible."

Letting out a chuckle Akira wiped his hand on the shield getting the cat hair off. "Sounds like a plan Mona. But I think we should get some rest first." Reaching into the satchel he pulled out the blanket he bought earlier.

"Huh, sounds kind of funny when you say it Joker." With their piece said Morgana jumped up by him and got comfortable. "Get some rest we got a lot of work to do tomorrow." As they slept neither noticed the cat hair get absorbed into the shield or the new branches open up.


	2. Chapter 2

Akira sat with Morgana in a somewhat broken down bar with his head on the table. They had spent most of the day trying to grind, key word trying. As it turns out Morgana much like Akira had very little in the way of attacking power. Even still they were still able to do somewhat more than him sense Morgana at least had their claws in ways of attacking. So it would go Akira pinning them down and waiting for Morgana to claw them close to death at which point Akira would hit them till they popped. Needless to say it was an exhaustive endeavor that left them worn out in the end. To make matters worse when they went to sell they found merchants trying to stifle them. Where as before they could trade one Balloon skin for one copper now it took twenty to get the same.

Akira had been tempted to 'pull a Skull', as Morgana had put it, to get a better deal. So after getting rid of his hull he left with twenty copper pieces, how you may ask? Well Morgana is still a thief and sense the merchant was more focused on him he didn't notice the cat making of with them. Akira might have been worried about being caught but according to Morgana they had a stockpile of copper they were hiding, so it is very unlikely he will report a few coins missing.

When they had headed back out after eating a small meal they had found some medical herbs that they had seen around town. Not only did they unlock the Leaf Shield series but they also sold for a good price. The medical shopkeeper was better than the other one which made him feel better but still the price bite hurt. All of that lead him to where he is now. Short of cash and eating what little food he could. Glancing over he saw Morgana in their hiding spot eating the meat Akira had given him. Most shops would not allow him in them so lacking any school bags, Akira believed that it was stolen by Malty so it was probably gone, they had resorted to him sneaking in.

This had been going on for a few days by now but it had only gotten Akira to level four and sense Morgana wasn't natrale to this world he didn't receive the boost of experience points and levels like Akira. While he could level up as they discovered during there time his stats didn't increase in the same way Akira's did.

"O Great Shield Hero," some nameless thug said walking up to him. The man was a bit on the portly side with a bowl cut. "We'll join your party."

"Yeah, yeah, thank your lucky stars." His friend some scrawny looking guy who probably never heard of a bath said.

Akira let out a questioning noise to let them continue their pitch. Over the past few days he had seen many of the same type of people approach him. They would act friendly but having been around Munehisa and been taught by Toranosuke, plus every dive into Mementos, gave him a good read on people. He politely turned down most by showing them how little money, show a few copper coins then ask if they have any to give, he had. Most wanted to use his position as a Hero to further themselves and saw hooking up with a hero as their ticket to fame. Plus with him being the only 'Disgraced Hero' he was the easiest to approach. Those few that tried to stick around him were quick to leave after one walk through town where the villagers would yell and taunt them into running, no longer seeing it as worth it.

Man how did that King fool him now that he thought about it. Maybe he had let his guard down? Was he just not expecting it? No that couldn't have been it, it must have been because it was so long since he last needed his skills. Same must have gone for Min...Malty. They had been together for awhile yet he didn't suspect anything? It was bugging him so he had decided to be more vigilant.

"So how about we make our way to the weapon shop and we get some _nice_ armor and weapons." The third said from behind him. Akira let out a sigh as he pushed his wooden plate forward. Getting to his feet he dusted off his clothes making sure to draw each action out. "Well are we going or not!"

"Sure, sure, just follow me." Akira said leading them out of the bar after dropping his payment on the counter. He pretended not to hear them laughing at each other as they followed him down an ally. "I assume you know how low I am on funds correct?" Akira asked stopping in the middle of an ally.

"Oh don't worry we'll keep it cheap." The skinny one said waving his hand in the air.

"Oh good I would hate for you guys to waste your money buying unnecessary gear." The three did quite a good double take as their brains seemed to catch up to what he said.

"Wait, you don't seem to understand! You are paying for our gear!" The round baseball man shouted.

"Now why would I do that?" Akira asked tensing his muscles to get ready for what was going to happen next. Like said before this wasn't the first time he had done this stick. Most would leave but a few tried their luck against him. "You are joining my party so I expect a certain amount of hmm… how to politely put this? Ah.. yes I expect for my team to be ready to go at a moments notice and to be prepared without me being there to hold their hands through something as simple as buying gear. So how about as a little test you three go off and get some gear and meet me out in the fields? I assume you have enough brains to know how to shop for yourself."

In the past Akira had been the one to shop for the Phantom Thieves but as time went on and prices started getting hire they had a group meeting and had decided to buy their own gear. Now watching these three he saw the three turn red with anger. "Screw this shit! Just give us your money!" Skinny said while drawing a knife. Seeing the blade brought back fond memories for Akira who was quick to doge and disarm the man in a quick move. Round was next to run forward with his fist drawn back for a sloppy punch. Makoto would be so disappointed. With ease Akira let the fist hit the shield which sent out a burst of air sending Round back toward the last lackie. The third seemed to be shaking allowing Akira to step on the knife Skinny was crawling toward. With practised ease Akira kicked the blade up to himself before twirling it around and sticking it in his belt. While 'equipping' it was impossible Akira would not be returning it to those three.

"Damn it!" Third shouted before running out of the ally. The other two were quick to follow.

"Nice work," Morgana said as they approached. "We should find someplace to rest for tonight. I saw an abandoned building while scouting earlier. It should work as a hideout for a good while." Twas true, sense most Inns would turn them away and the others charged way to hi they had resorted to abandoned homes or camping out in the fields.

Akira let out a sigh while his shoulders slumped in defeat. This had been dragging on for to long now. While he wouldn't say anything out loud both of them knew that without their former powers they were sitting ducks. "My you seem to be quite troubled." A cheerful voice said from an ally further down. Spinning around Akira spotted a short man wearing one of the most eccentric suits he had ever seen. The man looked he had just walked out of a cartoon with his glasses and large top hat. "But luckily for you I have just what you may need!" With a twirl of his cane he stepped forward.

"What would that be?" Akira asked as nicely as he could while Morgana jumped up on his shoulder.

"Careful Akira this guy rubs me the wrong way." They whispered to him, not that it was needed. Much like before only certain people were actually able to hear what Morgana actually said and not just a meow.

"Oh, that look in your eyes!" The man said with a large smile. Seeing Akira not about to answer he pressed on. "Well I can tell you are interested so how about I show you something I know you'll enjoy!" With a wave he lead them down an ally. After a while they came across a large circus looking tent which the man lead him in. As soon as they entered the smell from the stacked cages was the first thing that he noticed. Well that and the almost hundred of cages, though they were kind of hard to miss.

"So what service do you offer?" Akira could feel a cold pit start to form in his stomach. Morgana had gone stiff and he could also feel their claws start to dig into him.

"Oh I thought it was obvious." Akira could see eyes glaring at him from the cages. "I offer slaves of course!" The pit fell and Akira could feel it travel up his spine now as he saw the creatures being offered better now.

"Why would I want a slave." Akira's voice came out strained as he fought to keep his composure. Right now fighting this man would be unwise for many a reason so he had to play it cool. He felt Morgana shift on his shoulder as they eyed some loin human thing in a cage pace back and forth… Akira made a mental note to hasten his increase of knowledge gathering for this world.

"The fact that they can't lie or betray there master." Akira's eyes widened as his mind went over the implications. This world had pushed his trust in people to its edge but did he really need something like this? Glancing over he saw Morgana going through the same feelings. "Slaves are put under the effect of a cursed seal. A strong, seal-based curse that can take their very lives. What do you say?"

His mind raced as he held up a hand, "I need a minute to think." The slave trader gave a happy nod as he went further into the tent. "What do we do?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" Morgana yelled at him. "Are you actually consider buying a slave!" Akira hesitated answering causing his eyes to widen further. "You are aren't you?!"

"...Somewhat." Akira admitted reluctantly. "Hear me out," he said when he saw Morgana try to interrupt him. "Right now neither of us can really fight the wave and it takes way too long to take down even a Balloon. Face it without our Personas we can't do much." Morgana took a moment to think things over.

"I know but still, SLAVES!" Akira let out a sigh, he really didn't want to even consider what he was right now.

"Yeah but we need more team members. You said it yourself back in Kamoshida's palace." They both fell into silence until they heard coughing. Following the sound they arrived at a cage partly covered by a blanket. Tossing the blanket aside he saw a little girl shaking and coughing in the cage. The girl had chestnut long hair, brown eyes, and, for some reason, round racoon like ears on her head.

"Ahh, I would not recommend that one." The slave dealer said from around a corner. "Now this one is much better, and much more useful to you." With a wave he showed a werewolf! The thing was slamming on its cage and reaching out. "It is level 75 and quite proficient in battle." Akira was very tempted to accept but thought about it. The thing was vicious and thus he would be too reliant on the slave seal. Plus that level alone would markup the price…

"You showed me this knowing I couldn't afford it." Akira had heard about this type of business practice from Munehisa.

"My how perceptive of you! You are sure to become one of my better s." Their grin grew larger if at all possible. "Though you seem quite shocked by its appearance. It appears the rumors might be true about you not being from this world."

"It is true," Akira said leaning on a cage while his eyes slid over to the girl.

"Well then I guess you don't know about Demi-humans or Beastmen." The man continued to explain about how Demi-humans and Beastmen were believed to be related to monsters which caused them be looked down upon and treated as second class citizens. Akira nodded his head before pointing at the girl. "Oh her, I wouldn't recommend her. She has a chronic disease and a mental disorder. I'm having trouble with her myself."

Akira knelt down to get a better look at her causing her to start shaking some more while huddling in on herself. "Her previous master loved his torture you see." A memory surfaced of Mishima covered in bruises and carrying the same look in his eyes as this girl now did. "I doubt she'll last much longer." In that instant Akira's mind was made up.

"I'll take her." He could feel Morgana press their claws more into him. He would explain his reasoning to him later. But right now he saw the girl start shaking even more now. "I assume you'll have her ready soon?" By later Akira meant as soon as possible because even with the shield it was really starting to hurt. Then again the shield only seemed to give extra defence during what could be considered 'battle' or against something Akira considered hostile to him.

"Of course just meet me up front and we will finish this transaction there." They said as they went down a hall to, maybe, get the keys.

As Akira made his way to the entrance Morgana started, "Akira I get that she is a real sad story but still. Are you sure about this? Are you really committed to something like this?"

"I need to get her out of here, and fighting our way out isn't an option. You saw that wolf thing, there is no way we can defeat it as we are now." Akira explained. "Besides we agreed we needed someone to help attack for us so this might be for the best."

"I suppose your right." The blue eyed cat thief said with a sigh. "But we are treating her right got that! As Phantom Thieves it is our duty to show this world the strength of our convictions!"

"As if you needed to remind me." Akira said with a chuckle as the slave trader appeared with the racoon girl. You know looking at the ears they seemed to more resemble what a tanuki is depicted as having in media.

"Just put some blood in here." The man said placing a bowl in front of him. Akira gave a nod before pricking his finger with the knife he got earlier. As he dropped his blood into the bowl he saw the message pop up as the knife was dropped from his grip.

After mixing the liquid the slave trader took a brush and applied it to the seal on her chest. Akira was taken aback when she then started screaming as purple lightning started spewing from it. Before anything else could be done a message popped up declaring he had obtained a slave. From there he could then see the conditions he could apply to seal. He was tempted to take all of them off before deciding against it, having no idea what that would do. So instead he left only the follow his order box checked. "So how much?"

"She is thirty silver," he said while putting the bowl down. Akira dropped a bag in front of him before walking toward his new, *shudder*, slave. "There is one extra in here."

"It is for the ritual, I didn't want anything left between us."

"My, you certainly know your stuff."

Kneeling down in front of the girl Akira slowly extended his hand. "I guess we better introduce ourselves to each other. My name is Akira Kurusu and this here is Morgana." Waiting a bit Akira pressed a bit harder. "So can you tell us your name?"

"Ra… Raphtalia." The young girl answered her voice shaking. Akira retracted his hand as he stood up slowly grabbing the knife he dropped earlier.

"I guess we shall be in each others care for a while." The trickster said giving Raphtalia his best smile. "So a word of advice, don't try and take Morgana's fish, he is very protective of it." Morgana let out a series of reputals and denial that Akira didn't pay much of attention to as he opened the door. "Now come on we need to get you some better clothes." He stood there for a while waiting as Raphtalia stayed curled in on herself before the slave curse started sparking causing her pain for disobeying him. Needless to say she was quick to run out the door and stuck close to him all the way to the weapon shop.

The shopkeeper there had been the one to give him clothes after the fake accusation. Akira had been quick to pay him back for his kindness and now he was hoping to use it once more. As he entered the burly man was standing behind the counter and happily welcomed him before noticing his new party member. "Who's the girl?"

"A new party member," Akira said before putting down some coins. "Could I get a weapon for her under six silver? The rest are for whatever armor you can spare." The man nodded before heading into the back to grab the clothes first. He soon returned with a set of clothes which he dropped on the counter before grabbing three daggers.

"These all fall under six silver and below category." Hmm, seems we have copper, bronze, and irion. Picking up the irion he handed the clothes and irion to Raphtalia and pointed to the changing room. Once she was gone Akira leaned on the counter while Morgana jumped down and made himself comfortable.

"So is there like an actual clothing store you know of? Don't get me wrong I love the stuff you give me… But I would prefer to have actually clothes too." Akira asked hoping to start a conversation.

"Yeah I know of one," Old man, or Oyaji, said writing down some directions. "Kid I know what she is." Akira freezed up hearing him say that. "I won't judge just, don't let her or yourself die alright." Giving a nod he turned his head he saw Raphtalia walk out wearing a nice dress/armor combo with her dagger on her hilt.

"Looks good, now I need you to do one more thing." Raising up his cloak he heard everyone gasp as he showed the balloons biting him. With a bit of force he grabbed one and held it in front of him. "Draw your dagger and with it kill this monster." He saw the hesitation in the girl along with Morgana sitting straight on the counter. "Come on show me your power!" Akira remembered that look in her eyes, it was similar to his back in the palace before he got his powers. Purple lightning started sparking causing the young girl to hastily draw her weapon and charge forward.

The strike went by the Balloon's mouth which did little damage and resulted in her being sent backwards. "Raphtalia! Put some more effort into it! Swing it with your whole being!" Akira said trying to help the girl who shaklee stood back up. With more effort the slave girl stabbed the Balloon causing the creature to explode as both of them gained exp. "Huh, we both got exp?"

"Yeah cause you set her as your companion." Oyaji explained before stopping. "Wait didn't you do that with the women from before?" Akira paused for a moment as his thoughts returned to the vile women from before. She really hadn't intended to be his companion did she? But now with this information there was something he could do. Within a few seconds another window had popped up in front of Morgana who quickly accepted the invitation.

"This will speed up things," With little preamble the blue eyed thief retook their spot on Akira's shoulder. "Back out to the fields?"

Akira gave a discreet nod before turning back to Raphtalia who was still sitting on the floor. "Listen me and you are going to be fighting monsters together from now on. Like I said we will be in each others care, now come along there is much to do and not much time left." With a small nod she sheathed her dagger and ran after him.

An: I swear we will have Persona's in the next chapter! This one was just starting to drag on! Now on to answer some questions. Gun and Knives: I am still undecided as to what to do with these though it would be nice for Akira to have _some_ long range options. Second: No I will not be going through all the stations of the cross. Just the fact that Akira is here and has Morgana is present has already changed quite a bit and prevented/slowed down the release of a certain serious. As you can figure they will start to become more apperent next chapter. Third: Thank you for all the reviews they really help.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Morgana you ever heard of Frequency Illusion?" Akira asked the hidden cat as they sat in a restaurant. This of course meant that Morgana had to stay hidden and take a few of things off his plate.

"Oh course, it is where once you see something, or have it pointed it, you start seeing it more often." They replied as they munched on a bit of meat. "Though to experience it again is a bit odd. I would have thought that I would have noticed something like this earlier." What they were referring to was the rampant abuse/slavery of Demi-humans. Just on the way here they saw a group of Demi-human slaves loading up a wagon. He even started noticing signs on the way here saying they didn't serve Demi-humans. The racism was apparent and at the moment he couldn't do anything about it.

Looking across the table he saw the reason he was here, Raphtalia. When they were heading out to train they heard her stomach groan so they had decided to get her some food. Akira got the cheapest dish with some fish, while he ordered Raphtalia a kids menu, though she had denied wanting one. Now she was, literally, shoving food into her mouth while gripping the flag it came with tightly. She didn't seem to notice him talking to Morgana. "I'm guessing the other times were Kaneshiro and Okumura?" Akira picked at a few bits of food as his mind went over Raphtalia's odd behavior. Whenever she wanted something and he asked about it she would say no violently. Once again his mind drifted to the beaten volleyball team and how they wanted help but were too afraid or controlled to ask for it.

She had asked why he bought the kid's meal for her but besides that hadn't talked much. "Yeah, though there was also Shido…" Morgana stopped as Akira violently stabbed a vegetable in front of him breaking the wooden fork and plate.. The action startled Raphtalia causing her to flinch and cough up a bit of food.

"Ah, sorry about that just remembered something I would rather not." Akira said trying to calm down the slave. Reaching forward he slowly cleaned up the mess she coughed up. "Well with something in our belly we should head out now." Raphtalia gave a weak nod still a little scared by his outburst earlier. "Just finish up and wait for me outside I need to apologize to the owner and pay for the utensils." Akira muttered the last part hating having to spend money needlessly. As Raphtalia took the chance to finish eating Akira motioned to have Morgana watch her.

One talk and ten copper less the small group found themselves out in the field fighting. They were quick to find a flow with Morgana acting as look out and bait to draw the monsters in. Akira would then act as the, sigh, shield, taking all the blows and holding them down. At this point Raphtalia would then swoop in with her dagger killing all she could. Needless to say the field started to become to easy for them so they headed off to the Forest to train. There they encountered living mushrooms, known as Mushes, and stronger Red Balloons. Both were absorbed into the shield upon their defeat unlocking more branches in the Shield Tree. Whatever scraps were unneeded were gathered up to be sold later. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, Raphtalia's stomach started to rumble causing them to find a nice patch in the forest to set up for the night.

"Seems you haven't lost your touch." Morgana praised Akira as he quickly reeled in another fish.

"Come on this is nothing compared to the Guardian." He joked back unhooking the fish and passing it to Raphtalia who kept glancing back at him. Oh right she couldn't hear understand what they were talking about/understand Morgana. Oh well he could figure out how to solve that problem later, right now was the time to catch at least two more fish brining the total to five. Waiting he looked the creek for fish or anything he could catch.

"Yeah, though you haven't brought in any of the big fish like usually do… Wait don't tell me this world doesn't have any big fish!" This caused the Trickster to pause as his mind went over what Morgana said. Back in his old world Akira used the Third Eye to help him find the better fish but after the MetaVerse he found himself using it less and less each passing day. Could he still even use it… Whelp better find out he figured.

The world slightly distorted as the unseen eye opened after a long time of no use. To Akira the fish were now easier to see with different breeds gaining color. With a slight smile he casted out the rod and with ease brought them in. It felt nice having Third Eye confirmed to still work in this world and made him wonder what it might reveal to him. Enemy strength wasn't really needed but could prove helpful, somehow. Could he still heighten his reaction/slow down his perception like he did back at the batting cages? Akira made a nice folder to store those questions in as he brought in a big fish.

"Good going Akira!" Having caught all the fish he wanted Akira set about putting the last few fish in place to cook. As they took their seats Morgana stretched out while nibbling on a fish. Raphtalia sat by the fire with two fish in her hands alternating between them. Akira meanwhile looked through the shields he got. Looking at the Mush series he saw one of the skills unlocked by it, Compounding. Somehow the knowledge of how to make basic medicines and other such were now in his head.

Looking over at Raphtalia he started grabbing a few materials while showing of his Transcendent profancency. "Master... who are you?" Stopping in his work he thought about her question for a few seconds. She obviously wasn't asking 'Who' he was but 'Who' he was in this world. The answer was the Shield Hero, but it just didn't fit him. Not after what the Kingdom did. Besides he felt another title fit him so much better.

"I the Trickster." Akira said finishing the medicine.

"Trickster?" The slave girl asked looking very confused.

"It is what I am." Akira said passing her the medicine he had put into leaf cup lacking any other place to store it. Well he had a few containers but those had water in them and he was not wasting clean drinking water! Not until he knew how much he could sell his medicine for. "Drink this it should help with your cough." Huh this felt familiar.

Raphtalia hesitantly took it as she put her fish into one hand. Tilting her head back she chugged the drink down in one go. Her face quickly darkened in disgust as she threw it back up beside her. "So bitter…" The racoon girl muttered. Now this really looked familiar.

"Listen you need to drink it so we can get you feeling better." Akira said offering another he had made. "So how about you drink a few of them and I'll owe you one." What he said caused her to look at him like he said something insane. Then again to her it might have sounded that way. A master owing a slave something was crazy. With a little hesitation she took the medicine and was quick to drink it. "Now eat some fish, it should get rid of the taste." Raphtalia did just as he said and tore off bits of the fish. "Good just one more and you can be done." Taking it she repeated the process of downing it then eating some fish. "Nicely done," He praised her going back to the various monster parts.

There was a wide selection of parts but Akira reached out and grabbed two in particular. With practiced ease he went about doing his task not noticing the intense gaze of Raphtalia who was acting like she was given a hard puzzle to solve. She went back to eating her fish when she noticed that part of one was missing. Looking around she saw Morgana with the fish chowing it down. "No that was mine!"

The cat gave her a blank look before letting out a sad meow and returning it to her. "Morgana if you need more food you can have some of mine." The cat let out another meow as Akira just nodded his head. "Don't worry about me if I need to I'll just catch some more fish." Seeming content with that the 'cat(?) went to eat another fish. Raphtalia was very confused by everything that happened since she was bought by this man. He would seem to talk to his cat, that was way smarter than any other animal she had seen or heard off. Except for maybe the Filolial Queen who was believed to have been raised by the Four Legendary Heroes. Then there was the man himself. He acted nice and only used the curse seal twice so far and now was saying he owed her? What was he playing at?

She felt her eyes start getting heavy as she finished the fish. Hearing a meow she saw Morgana over by the backpack pawing at a roll. Walking over she pulled the roll out and was shocked to see a sleeping bag. "Morgana says you can use it." Akira said still not turning around. Feeling more energy drain out of her she crawled into the sleeping bag as her eyes closed.

A few minutes later Akira put down his project and grabbed some fish from by the fire. Looking over he saw Morgana curl up near her getting ready to sleep. He must still be bothered by the whole buying a slave thing. Even just thinking about rubbed him somewhat. As he finished his food he was about to finish one more medicine when he saw Raphtalia start shaking and mumbling in her sleep before sitting up abruptly and letting out a scream. "Mom, Dad!"

Hearing the scream Morgana jumped up looking startled. "What is going on!"

"This must be the mental disorder the slave trader mentioned." Akira said quietly grabbing the poor girl. "Hey everything is alright, it's alright."

"To be sold as a slave at such a young age…" Morgana muttered sadly, "such a poor girl to be subjected to that kind of life. What has happened to her during her time?" Both of them stayed in silence as Raphtalia squirmed in his grip. Hearing a few bushes rustle they turned to see a few Balloons and other monsters jump out at them. "What are they doing here! Wait were they attracted to the sounds of her screams!?"

"Probably," Akira said moving Raphtalia as one of the Balloons jumped at them. "Dammit and our attacker is asleep right now." He felt more and more Balloons latch onto him as the Mushes came up to. "Morgana I'll try to keep their attention see if you can take them down." Even as he said it he saw the chances of them coming out unscathed dwindle. How did it come to this.

"Alright Joker!" The blue eyed thief said jumping at one of the Mushes and lashed out with their claws. The claws did little damage as the Mush turned around to retaliate. Letting out a small curse Akira moved to take the hit as Morgana doged to the side. Looking he saw more and more eyes pop up in the bushes. Dang it if only he had thought this through. If only he had never agreed to help these people…

"Do you really regret your past decisions? Were they truly a mistake!" Akira stopped at hearing the familiar voice. It was a voice he came to knew well. Feeling another Balloon latch on him he came to his answer.

"No, none of them were!" He felt his resolve solidify. The only mistake he had made was lowering his guard and trusting someone he should have suspected.

"It is good to see your resolve hold firm even now!" A smile formed on his face as he felt something pulse in him. "Then again I should never have questioned it seeing as how we are one in the same. So once again if you so desire it my power shall be yours once more. I shall become your mask again to face the hardship that lay before you." With a nod Akira felt the pulse start surging forward and seeking to fill him, again. "Very well then, I am thou, thou art I… Thou who hast committed sacrilegious actions for justice! Call once more upon my name once more and release thy Rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"

Reaching his hand up to his face he felt the mask once again sat comfortably on his face. "Come forth, Arsene!" With a firm tug the mask came free as blue fire swept over him changing his outfit entirely. As the fire finished sweeping over him it formed into a figure behind him clothed in red.

"No way, you were able to summon a persona!" Morgana muttered in awe as the two black wings spread out from Arsene.

"Arsene, Maeiha!" Akira felt some of his energy leave him as black and red hit all the enemies in the area. Having accomplished its job the legendary thief turned to its summoner.

"How did you do it? Is your will of rebellion that strong that you can make it appear in reality?" As they looked up into Akira's eyes they felt something spark within them.

"So it seems," Akira stated looking up at the mockery of a face on Arsene. "Thank you for helping me once again."

"There is no need for thanks." As he said this he lowered himself down before Akira. "Just remember our pack and hold onto the bounds that brought force such power. That is all we require of you, though I must recommend against call forth the stronger summons you brought forth. Call upon my strength again soon. As before it is yours to use." As he finished talking Akira's first persona disappeared, returning back to his sea of souls.

Akira felt his eyes harden in thought. What did Arsene mean not to call forth his stronger personas? Did he need to become stronger to use them? Did something happen to his control over them? "Hey, you look tired and Raphtalia is really freaking out. Why don't you lay down for a bit." Yeah that sounds like a good idea. With a nod toward the his friend he pulled the still shaking girl close as he relaxed.

Seeing the leader of The Phantom Thief lay down Morgana watched as the blue flames dissolved away returning him back to normal. "Man to somehow bring forth your other self into reality. Is it something about you or is it this world that helped? If it is this world then does that mean I can return to how I once was?" The thought of returning back to his body of a Phantom Thief warmed the, at the moment, cat with warmth.

In a place infinitely far yet shockingly close a red clothed figure with twin black wings appeared with its characteristic grin still in place. The place shifted and turn with different parts of Earth falling into place yet merging into one another while at the same time separating. "So he is truly able to call us?" A small women wearing a blue leotard and with see through wings asked.

"He is indeed able once more," the thief answered turning down an ally that showed no change to approach a coffee shop that looked beat up yet shined at the same time. "Tell me how are the others?"

The pixie sagged with only its magic keeping it afloat. "Not good, Cuey is pacing now as whatever is happening seems to be effecting him now. Last I saw of him he was yelling at Scath about weakness." Now they would have fallen if Arsene hadn't caught them.

The present smile seemed to diminish. "That is alarming… We will have to keep watch and learn. Who know how something could affect something like the sea of souls but seeing how it has affected the others we must stay vigilant." As he said this he opened the door and was greeted with light music and the smell of coffee. "Now come we must rest and await our call to battle."

Omake: A Supreme King's Return

Raphtalia struggled in the arms of the knights restraining her. She tried to yell past the gag in her mouth towards the kneeling hero who saved her. They had fought together in the wave and the man had always been kind to her. She remembered when he bought her and gave her a bright smile. He had taught her, cared for her, gave her treats, and even played with her. She remembered all the times after grinding and getting stronger where he was tired and sore from all the work yet would still take time to toss around the ball he bought for her. He even showed her different games to play and even a weird one from his world.

Now after fighting against the wave with his weird summons they were brought to the castle to celebrate. As everyone partied she grabbed food to bring back to her… master(?), friend(?), something. He was looking at the window with a hundred mile stare. He was muttering something like he usually did when he got that look. Raphtalia never really heard what he was talking about but it involved the cat that hung around him. When he saw her getting her near she gave him that smile that warmed her inside.

As they ate the food she brought they were caught off guard when someone threw a glove at him. It was the Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura, who was challenging him to a duel. Somehow he had heard she was a slave and now wanted to 'free' her from her master. Raphtalia had tried to interject and let him know it wasn't needed. They had tried to leave but were corned and then forced to join in the duel with her taken captive and gagged. The duel had gone in her master's favor for a while with him playing it smart and defensive while wearing down the Spear Hero's stamina and SP.

That was until Spear Hero's companion launched wind magic at him. After that he was knocked off concentration and quickly defeated. He had tried to get a redo only to get shut down as everyone refused to stand up for him. It was made even worse when the companion was revealed to be the princess of the country. Now she was getting her mark removed. Once it was gone she turned on the Spear Hero berading him for his treatment of her friend. That was when things got bad. They thought he had somehow brainwashed her and had re-restrained her. Working she got the gag out of her mouth as guards started surrounding her friend.

"Jaden-sama!" With a snapp he looked up as his normally brown eyes shifted to a light golden color before flashing to orange and green as wind kicked up around him. The other Heroes looked shocked as a dark purple masma surrounded him.

"What are you doing Shield!" The king yelled as Jaden said something as three cards glowed red before disappearing. He didn't answer as three new cards glowed yellow before disappearing. "Answer me or I will end you!"

"You're in my seat trash!" Jaden said as for a brief instance three creatures appear before disappearing in a blue light.

"WHAT!" The king yelled veins popping on his neck. "You dare to take my throne?" More guards poured into the room surrounding Jaden who was slowly standing.

"If people like you and that women are allowed to rule then this country has no future. So I shall become the Supreme King and rule this land better." Now having raised to his full height Raphtalia watched as three cards formed on the strange shield that had ten slots.

"YOU INSOLENT DEMON!" The king screamed as the other 'heroes' watched in silence while shooting disapproving glares at the Shield Hero. "MEN STRIKE HIM DOWN!"

The guards ran forward only to stumble and fall as the ground trembled and cracked around her master. The cause of the shaking soon became apparent as a massive red winged serpent rose out of ground covered in red flames. With a horrible shriek it circled around Jaden.

"What beast is that?" The king asked in fear as the red things head turned toward him. One of the bolder soldiers charged forward towards it only to get blown back just by the things tail flick that caused a strong wind. "Heroes please defeat the thing summoned!"

"Gladly," Motoyasu said spinning his spear around. "Ren, Itsuki let's take this thing down!" As he rushed forward a lightning bolt struck down destroying the roof. Motoyasu stopped in his path as another creature destroyed the roof as it came down. This one was primarily yellow and looked more skeletal with a showing ribcage and claws. It to let out a roar as more lightning sparked in the sky while its wings beat causing gale like winds to send people flying.

People were now screaming and flooding out of the castle. "Another summon but how!" Itsuki yelled as he took a step back. "What level are they!" His companions huddled behind him trying to cheer him on and offering weak praise.

Jaden said nothing as a massive hand punched through a wall as a massive humanoid beast walked forward. The thing was massive enough to stand above the other twos and gave off the most intimidating aura. With a wave of its massive bony hand it sent a wave of energy that knocked away and destroyed anything in its path. Ren who was unfortunate enough to get caught in the wave was sent flying even when he tried to block and hit the wall behind him knocking him out.

"I will say this only once more." Eyes returned to Jaden who now looked tiny when surrounded by such massive and powerful beings. "Get out my seat and off my property. Which shall now be this wretched kingdom."

AN: Weird outmake involving Jaden Yuuki from Yu-Gi-Oh GX along with the Three Sacred Beasts But hey it just got into my head soo...


	4. Chapter 4

Akira woke up in an empty cell with the entire world colored a light blue. As he stepped forward he noted he wore the black twin tailed coat he had as a thief. Looking around he saw the place just as it had always been with a table seated in the center of the room but there was one thing different. The place was empty.

As he walked through the open cell he walked right up to the desk expecting someone to pop up. It was odd to be here and not have either Igor or Lavenza in this place. His steps echoed as he walked around the desk pulling out Igor's chair before sitting in it. "Huh this is quite comfortable." He said relaxing into the chair before hunching forward. "Welcome to my Velvet Room."

"While you may have decided on the shape of the room I am disappointed to say that it is not your room." A calm sophisticated voice said from behind him. Spinning around Akira came face to mask with a tall human. The the mask covered most of his face except for part of the bottom with the left side having a blue butterfly design. He wore a black turtleneck and black pants that were fastened by a belt. "Now I must say I am quite shocked to have you drop in. But you are the rebel child of the wild cards so it is not far fetched for one surprise to happen."

Akira stayed seated as he observed this man before him. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you."

"Ahh how rude of me. You must forgive me it has been quite awhile since I last did this." Holding a hand up the man took a breath and had a nostalgic smile on his face. "I am Philemon, a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness and master of the Velvet Room." Akira blinked upon hearing this. Was this man really the master of the Velvet Room? Then what was Igor? "You seem confused, as is to be expected from anybody. I do not ask for you to believe right away but know that I have not lied or exaggerated."

"It's just one thing…" Akira said relaxing into the chair, it was very comfortable. "If you are the owner of this room, where were you when Yaldabaoth took control of this place?"

Philemon let out a sigh and leaned on a stool that hadn't existed there before. "Ah yes, that… If you can believe it I was prevented from interfering due to a bet with an obnoxious black butterfly. Though it was good to see you pull through." Seeing the look of confusion on Akira's face they let out a smile as a familiar blue butterfly appeared in their hand. "Yes I was there throughout your adventure watching."

As he was about to respond back a loud clanging was heard as a door opened. "Sorry sister it appears I forgot my book. I will be back with it soon." A familiar voice said as a young platinum blonde walked into the area before freezing in place.

"Oh hey Lavenza," Akira said camly raising a hand in greeting with Philemon letting out a chuckle at the girls dumbfounded expression.

"As much fun as it would be to let this play out I'm afraid the walking world calls for you. I have returned your key, feel free to visit soon." As he was saying this Akira felt his connection to the place weaken. "I do not know when we will meet again but stay strong till then." As the trickster vanished the master of the room turned to the warden. "Ah young one it is good to see you again."

Straightening herself out the youngest ruler of power spoke. "It is good to see you to master but I must ask for what reason you have come here."

"A new game is afoot." He answered shocking Lavenza. For a new game to start up so quickly after just finishing one. "Do not worry I shall explain more in do time. But for now I must be off to get a few things ready. I expect you to be prepared to help our guest once again." It was not a question but Lavenza still nodded in answer.

~Reality~

Akira woke up as the sun started its crawl upwards. Looking down he saw both Raphtalia and Morgana asleep. Moving carefully so as not to wake them Akira saw no remains of monsters laying around meaning that after summoning Arsene no more appeared. As he went about making breakfast he thought about what to do next. The obvious answer was to keep grinding so as to be strong enough to take on the approaching wave. But at the same time money was also a pressing matter seeing as how they needed to purchase more equipment. Letting out a hum he decided that whatever decision could wait until later. First he needed to make some food, so with a small thanks to Boss he went about making breakfast.

Raphtalia let out a groan as she woke up to the smell of food. Looking around she saw Morgana slowly crawl over towards Akira who was mixing some things in a pot. With the same slowness she walked over as well before sitting down in front of him. He gave her the same smile he did on the day he bought her making her feel slightly warm. Putting down three plates he dished out more food while humming a small tune. As she took a small bite her eyes flew open at the taste. With great enthusiasm she ate all she could. The food was one the best things she had eaten in a long time.

Hearing a chuckle she looked up to see the man who bought her extending his hand toward her. She flinched back a little as the hand neared old memories rising up in her but was shocked when he instead gave her head a gentle rub. "Eat up Raphtalia we are heading out soon. We need to grab a few more monster parts before returning to town." Akira said going back to cooking a distracted look on his face. Eating quietly she picked the plate clean before passing the plate back. After eating they killed a few more monsters with her master occasionally stopping as if wanting to do something else before stopping. He always seemed to notice something in the forest and would stop what he was in the process of doing. Now in town the strange man who owned her traded in the medicine he bought last night. After buying the excess or unused equipment he lead her toward the exit before jerking her to the side and leading her out a different way.

After awhile of going down seemingly random back alley they found themself at the equipment shop. "That should lose them for awhile." Akira muttered under his breath while walking in. "Hello again old man." Saying his greeting he walked toward the front of the shop.

"Ah, kid good to see your not dead." The old man said nodding toward him. "What do you need today."

"I was wondering if you had any weapon upkeep things? Like grindstones or whetstones?" Akira asked only to get a nod. The nice man came back with what he asked for. After paying for them his shield absorbed them making him happy. Before he left he asked about any places to get money quickly where Akira then learned about a mining town. Giving a nod he scanned around outside for something before asking to duck outside a side exit. So thus after grabbing a bite to eat, Raphtalia was happy to get another kids dish, they went out to the woods to get more parts after ducking behind more allys. After getting aways into the wood Akira seemed happy about something and gave a nod to her.

"Raphtalia I want to show you something, now don't freak out." Raphtalia gave a timid nod as she felt her heart clench as the man before her was covered in blue fire. It was only for a moment before he reappeared covered in different clothes and with a white mask on his face. "Now you might have some questions but for now I only ask that you continue to fight alongside me. If you do we shall continue or deal." The girl gave a timid nod as they turned to fight the mods coming close.

"Cleave!" Ripping off his mask Akira sent Arsene forward. Raphtalia let out a squeak at seeing the other being appear and effortlessly defeat anything that came close. So stunned was she that she didn't notice another rabbit enemy lung toward her.

"Come forth my other self!" A young boyish voice yelled out as another figure came forth. Unlike the one summoned by her master this one was primarily blue with the only other colors being red wings for eyes and gold shoes connected to feathery blue wings. Looking behind her she saw a thing with a large head that was bottom half white and top half black with cat ears sticking out of the mask like top. The eyes that took up most of the front had blue eyes that shone with an inner light. "Are you alright Raphtalia?" How did they know her she asked herself.

"Ah Morgana good to see you back to your old self." Akira said before stopping in front of Raphtalia and letting out a sigh. "Come on we can talk as we walk." A little confused by what he meant she looked down only to start hyperventilating at seeing the blood now on her. "Whoa calm down, calm down." She was quickly picked up and held close to something sturdy as her mind became foggy while she started seeing horrible creatures everywhere.

Looking up Morgana felt a weight on their chest at seeing the racoon girl clutching at Akira. "What happened? Was it something I did? No she was okay with you but then looked down…"

"If I may good sir." Turning Akira and Morgana saw Mercurius lower down and step on the ground. "I believe this furry thing may be at fault." With a flourish they held up the body of the now dead rabbit. "Our dear friend it seems has an aversion to blood. Not a good trait for one who is meant to fight." With careful aim they tossed it at the shield that quickly absorbed it.

"No that is not good." Morgana whispered trying to think of someway to help them get over there fear. "I think if we start small and work our way forward we can help her!" Looking over they saw Akira giving them a flat look. "What, did I say something or are you entranced by my good looks?"

"No, I'm just trying to figure out when Mercurius got so chatty?" He said as said persona disappeared back into Morgana.

"Huh, I never really thought about that." The cat thief admitted thinking about it a little more. "But last night I remember renewing my vow to them just like you did with Arsene. Then bam I'm back like this feeling just like I normally do."

"If you can turn into that form then do you think…?" Akira started before turning and starting walking back into the forest.

"Think what? And don't walk off like that, it makes you seem rude!" Following close behind the leader Morgana rolloded their head before gaining a look of realization. "Oh you mean my other form!? I haven't really tried turning into it yet. I mean I was kinda trying _not_ to draw too much attention to our area."

"Makes sense," Akira said stopping to move Raphtalia, who was starting to settle down, before looking around. "So out of curiosity have you noticed anyone following us?" As he asked Arsene reappeared to cut down a few monsters that had gotten to close.

Morgana perked up as they gained a hardened look. "Yeah, I started noticing them a few days ago. They are quite adept at staying hidden but it will take quite a bit more work to trick a great thief like me! The last I saw was when we entered the forest, we seemed to have lost them though." Nodding his head Akira felt good knowing he wasn't imagining things, or that his attempts weren't in vain. "By the way what were you working on last night." Morgana asked as Akira put Raphtalia down near a river.

"Oh you didn't figure it out?" After making sure the slave girl would be fine Akira showed his work to the infiltration expert. In his hand were various tools that Morgana had helped him create not that long ago. Hearing Raphtalia turning around he put them into the shield unlocking more options. "I think you know what I'm going to do next."

"Are you sure about what you're doing? I'm not trying to dissuade you but it is very dangerous."

"In case you forgot, we always chose to live dangerously." With his trademark grin on his face he felt something tug on his coattails. Looking he saw Raphtalia looking down ashamed. "What can I do for you?" He heard her mumbling something while shaking. "Can you please repeat that?"

"Please don't get rid of me!" The demi-human said quietly, now shaking a little. Akira lowered himself as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not getting rid of you." Akira said with convection as he tried to hold eye contact with her. "But we need to do something about your fear of blood. As we fight we are going to come across more things that bleed so we need to help you get over your fears. Okay?"

Raphtalia gave a weak nod as she felt the hand leave her shoulder. Thus she found how she spent the rest of her day. They continued farther into the forest as they found more and more things to fight. As time pressed on Akira prepared Lunch while returning back to normal and pressing the bandit cat to do the same. As it turned out the cat was the same she met yesterday. The form it and her master took apparently drained them somewhat of their energy. So conserve stamina they decided to stay out of them the rest of the day. By the end they had became stronger and went back to town to celebrate. After selling the various goods they found an inn to stay at, getting a special room due to her night terrors. This went on for a few days with them heading out to the forest to kill monsters and gather parts to sell then returning to the hotel to sleep. Occasionally they would come across more of the rabbits which allowed her to work out her fear of blood, Akira bought her a special meal to celebrate.

As Raphtalia laid down in the bed Akira worked on a few things, as he usually did every night. He had given her some medicine he assured would help her with her sleep and was now finishing something. Laying down her head she saw Akira close the curtains as the blue flames surrounded him. Within a moment the call of dreams drew her in. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mogana asked as he watched the slave girl curl into a ball.

"I have quite a few things I need back." Akira said as he looked out the window using his third eye to spot the people keeping watch. "You remember the plan right?"

"Who do you think I am? Skull?" The cat thief asked sounding offended. "Just stay safe out there."

With a nod Joker slid out a side exit he had discovered while walking the city. With practiced ease he maneuvered around the city towards his destination. Hopping the wall Joker set his sights on the castle. "Hope you kept my things safe Malty cause I'm here to pick them back up."

 **AN: Alright ending it there, because I can. I know not much happened but after the next chapter or the next one we should arrive at the wave. Alright time to address a few things. One I will keep trying to get one chapter out per week but I don't know if I can. Second: as for his knife, no the shield can not absorb other weapons as far as I know. Yes people have made such things IRL but as far as the anime and LN are concerned it is impossible to due. Not sure about the gun though, I mean it would be wrong to separate Akira from the weapon he used to kill god. Third: I will post the Yu-Gi-Oh story at some point since some of you seem to like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Akira sat on the ledge overlooking the guards as a smile refused to leave his face. He could feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins as he slipped through a second story window. Long rusted instincts burned in him as he quickly made his way to the roof as a few maids passed bellow him. "Hey did you hear about the Shield Hero?" One of the maids asked.

"What is it this time?" The second asked in a tired voice, probably heard too much gossip.

"Apparently he was caught dragging people around with him." The second rolled her eyes not seeing what was so interesting about it. "No, you don't get it, they were apparently foreign adventures! The king is had to talk to them and apologize for how the Shield Hero acted!" Now that was interesting news… "I'm so thankful we have the Wise Staff Hero ruling us!" How Aultcray get a title like that?

The conversation grew distant as Joker dropped down with no sound. Looking around he went through the mental map he had made/discovered he traced the route needed to get to Princesses room. Yeah apparently most guards had maps of the castle on them which made getting one really easy.

Quietly the Phantom Thief ran along occasionally using his Third Eye to look for any traps or guards as he made his way through the royal castle. Occasionally he would have to duck behind various furniture so as to not be spotted, then resist the urge to jump out and rip off their masks/helmets. But that didn't stop the impulse to destroy anything that shined in his Third Eye. Treasure was treasure. Arriving at the room he tried the nob only to find it locked to which he just pulled out the necessary tool while his shield changed. It now resembled an old beat up storage locker which he stuck his hand into and pulled out a lockpick. The Thief Shield serious was a major boon that he discovered and unlocked over his course of readying himself for this heist. As the lock clicked, he slowly opened the door and came to the quick realization he was in the wrong room. He very much doubted that Malty had so many dolls, and why did they look like those chicken horses he saw around town? With a shake of his head he went inside the room before pulling out the physical map.

"So, I was just one hallway off." Joker mumbled before noticing something and gained a smirk. Walking back, he locked the door before jumping above the bookcase and pulling out the lockpick again. With quick movements he undid the metal holding the vent in place and pulled it out. The vent was big enough so he didn't have to crawl and could move easily around in. So, with one last glance he grabbed one of the plushies and shoved it into his inventory he discovered the shield contained. Now you might be wondering why he took some random plushie, and the reason was twofold. One he needed a souvenir and two he felt like it.

Maneuvering through the vent Joker looked at any passing room he saw looking for his bag. As he was approaching the end, he saw a large gaudy room filled with luxurious items and most importantly his bag. As he sat in the vent, he opened his Third Eye one more time to check for any last-minute traps that might have been laying around the room. As he did this, he heard the door crash open as his gut dropped. Entering the room, he watched Melty and some butler enter her room laughing about something. He noticed she was talking to herself about something but he was too far away to hear. She moved around the room before glancing at his bag which she stared at for a bit before making a comment and leaving. As the two left his smirk returned as he quickly pushed on the vent and exited.

"Hello again old friend," Joker said as he grabbed the bag. He wanted to check out its contents but seeing as he was not in a safe room right now, he put it with the plushie and jumped back up to the vent which he re-entered while putting the vent back in place. As he shuffled his way back to the other room, he heard a yell while marveling how amazing the vents carried sound. "Where did the bag go!" Well the security level definitely just went up, and yet there were no guards he could kill to lower the threat level. As he made his way through the vents, he started hearing some noises from around him. Maybe he _shouldn't_ go back to the room. As he took off in another direction, he noticed that the vent dropped down. So, with some care he started dropping down heading lower, lower, and lower. As he made his way out of the vent, he now found himself in an empty cell with the door swinging loosely.

"Must be in the dungeons," Joker reasoned as he pulled the map back out only to see it was only the top floors. With a sigh of disappointment, he made his way out slowly looking for any activity.

"Hello is anyone there?" A voice asked from ahead of him. The voice sounded female and on the softer side, but much like Haru Joker could hear the steel lying below the surface. Making his way closer Joker slowed so as to be ready for any guard should he need to hide behind some of the scattered barrels. "I could have sworn I heard someone… No all the guards are in bed by now." Wait was she not a guard? Peeking around the edge he saw a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes sitting alone in one of the cells. Huh now that he looked most of the cells were empty with the few prisoners asleep or knocked out. Well better approach with cation. Looking down he saw the Shield turn smaller and black, a different of the Thief series, it blended in very well with his outfit to the point where you actively had to look for it.

As he walked by, he had to stop a few times as she almost caught him. He froze as her gaze looked near him before shaking her head. "I must have been seeing things…" With that she went back to her bed slap. Waiting a bit, he slowly crept along the wall till he came near the hidden Warden's room. The room was hidden by a door that blended into the wall around it. Hearing some noise, he slipped inside quickly. Hearing noise outside Joker decided to kill some time looking around. Opening one of the cabinets around him with a quick lockpick he found hundreds of files. Pulling out one of the files he heard the door about to open so he shoved the file into the shield.

As the Phantom Thief hid a guard stomped inside. He was muttering while taking a quick look before leaving. Jumping down he followed the man out the door and slipped out when the guard looked back into the room one last time. As the door shut Joker walked out of the basement. Arriving at the platform above he found himself near the courtyard. The courtyard had a few guards wandering around with their lanterns out. Hmm, he could find a safer route, wouldn't be that hard. So, with a playful smirk he opened the window and slid out. As he went from bush to bush, he made his way to the entrance almost disappointed at how easy this way.

"Might be an off night, maybe I should come back another night." He had spent over a weak preparing for this and this was their security! As he got near the edge of the edge, he felt some disappointment so getting an idea he made his way close to one of the guards. Waiting for the right moment he snuck his hand into the satchel and pulled out the coins and spare dagger. Making his way around he managed to gather a few more materials before leaving flipping one of the coins while whistling a happy tune. As he left, he made sure to avoid any of the now hyper alert ninjas as he made his way back. Seeing an opening Joker ran towards the inn where with quick and practiced movements he slipped back into the room without a sound.

In a small burst of flames his clothes returned back to the ones given to him by the smith. Looking at the bed he saw Morgana with one eye looking at him before nodding to the bed. Slipping into the bed he felt Raphtalia press into him just like usual. Relaxing into the bed he heard the door handle rattle a bit before opening a bit someone looked around the room before closing the door. As he stayed still, he opened an eye as his Third Eye took a quick look around as one of the ninjas opened the window and started examining the room. Whenever they looked at him, he would close his eyes and fake sleep. He felt them draw closer as they no doubt intended to check his person. When they were close though the girl, he was near started squirming and thrashing about 'walking' him up. He opened his eyes quickly while pulling her close.

After a while Raphtalia eventually calmed down but took up enough time for the ninja to leave. As he laid her back down, he looked to see Morgana give him a nod before going to sleep at the bottom of the bed. As Akira laid down, he felt sleep claim him while the slave girl grasped fistfuls of his shirt.

It took only a moment of the sun being up to cause Akira to open his eyes. Getting up he saw Raphtalia curled up against the wall. As it turned out she had wet the bed last night and was scared of him being mad. After calming her down the two headed out for the mining town of Lute. According to the map it should take about two days. Looking around Akira made sure he had lost any followers and with the help of the Third Eye he confirmed that no one was near. "Alright Morgana feel up to a quick ride?"

"Well I am quite curious so sure! Just make sure to be careful!" Walking a bit forward the cat thief first turned into their metaverse form. "Alright here goes, Morgana Transform!" Then with a puff of smoke and the sound of a meow mixed with a cartoony honk Morgana had taken on a new appearance, that of a decent sized black with yellow striped van. The van had Morgana's eyes where the headlights should be and ears on the top. "Alright looks like I'm good to go!"

With a nod Akira went to make his way inside only to stop when noticing a frozen Raphtalia. "Something wrong?" He asked while Morgana let out a confused noise.

"What is that? What did Morgana-sama turn into? How did they do that?" Their voice came out shaky and unsure. Akira tilted his head in confusion trying to figure out what she meant.

"Oh, this is my bus form!" Morgana said happily. "As for how I turn into this my powers are largely passed on cognition so I'm able to use this."

"So that is still you?" The girl asked while uncertainty approaching the cat bus, or as Akira offered but was shot down, the Thief Mobile!

"That's correct!" Morgana said happily. "Come on I'll give you a ride! Akira will help you inside." Hesitantly she walked inside looking at the fur seats while Akira took the driver seat. "Alright everyone shall we get ready to go?"

Finding the switch, he flicked it on and listened to the 'engine' purr. This caused Raphtalia to jump from where she was in the back seat. "Come up here and sit with me." Akira said gesturing to the passenger seat. Slowly she crawled and maneuvered her way to the seat which was big for her. "Alright let's get there in record time!" With a press of the peddle the van started speeding up. Within a few minutes Akira felt yet another bump due to a rock and the uneven terrain.

"Master I don't feel so…" Turning he saw an extremely pale Raphtalia. Slamming on the brakes he pulled her out of the van.

"Guess we won't be using my bus form for a while." Morgana said while Raphtalia emptied her stomach. "So, I guess we are walking for a bit." With another puff of smoke, he turned himself back into his cat form.

"Yeah I guess we are walking." Seeing Raphtalia having calmed down a bit he picked her up. "Huh you are getting a little bit heavier." This caused the girl to turn somewhat red. "Let me know when you can walk again." Feeling a nod, he started walking only to feel another weight on his shoulder. Having to carry both Raphtalia and Morgana was a bit uncomfortable but with a quick scroll he felt a physically stronger persona come forth as his mask. As he walked, he felt the difference in power was made evident as he easily walked forward. Keeping up an easy pace they walked in silence for a while only interrupted by the sound of the forest.

"So, what was in your bag? I kind of remember what we had in there." Morgana finally asked the question that had been bugging him for a time. Only the worry of eavesdroppers had stopped him from asking earlier.

"Oh a few books but more importantly Skill Cards, a few supplies, my knife, and my gun." Akira responded rolling his shoulders while Morgana took the hint and jumped into the bag.

"You have a knife?" Raphtalia asked, turns out that seeing Morgana in their 'true' form had shifted their cognition enough for them to understand him.

"Yes, though due to a curse I might not be able to use it anymore." Akira admitted with a soft disappointment.

"Oh…" With a suspicious look she moved a bit making Akira put her down and handed Raphtalia her bag. "Can I see it?"

Looking back at Morgana who just shrugged Akira unslung his bag before opening up the _very_ hidden pocket and pulled out a wicked looking dagger. The dagger had appeared to him after defeating Yaldabaoth, just like his first knife. The weapon was wicked looking with a curved long blade and black hilt with a guard for the hand. The length of the blade made it more comparable to that of a short sword or a larger dagger.

Raphtalia took the blade as if receiving a great gift. The demi-human waved the blade around looking at the sheen of the blade. "Where did master get this blade?"

"Raphtalia I told you to call me Akira." The trickster said with a sigh. "I got the blade after my friends and I defeated a powerful ruler who sought to control everyone under his control." Oversimplification? Yes, but until he got more of her trust then she probably wouldn't believe him about shooting god in the face.

"Yeah we beat him." Morgana cheered from in front of him. "It was a huge battle, you should have seen it Raphtalia! I must say it was one of my best moments." Saying the final line Morgana puffed up their chest and sat a little straighter.

"I always think Morgana looks cool." Raphtalia said looking at the cat who now puffed up bigger.

"Well that is only natural!" He said while standing up. "Now we should get back to business! There is a mining town up ahead waiting for us, and we need the money." With that Akira took the hint to sling the bag back on his shoulder as Morgana hopped inside of it. "So, did you get anything else from the castle?"

"Besides disappointment from the crap security? Yeah I grabbed two other things." Akira said while the slave girl turned to them in shock.

"You broke into the castle!?" Raphtalia exclaimed in shock. "When? How?"

"Last night, easily, very easily." Akira said with a wave as he kept walking.

"So, are you going to tell the story or not?" So, with that Akira told the tale of how he went in and took his possessions back from an under secured palace, then again compared to the other palaces he had taken on… yeah major downgrade. Oh well he was going to give them another chance later, maybe, really depended on how busy he was later.

"Wait it was that easy?!" Morgana yowled looking at him shocked. "If I had known it was that easy, I would have done it myself the night after you were kicked out!"

"I would have done it when I broke in when I was following the heroes." Akira said while rolling his shoulder dropping the bag back into the shield after taking out the last item from the hidden pocket.

As they walked in comfortable silence. As time went on, they stopped for lunch and seeing as how the racoon girl was settled down Morgana turned back into the van but they went at a much more comfortable speed. The idea was to get her comfortable with being in a moving vehicle. While they had to break often to settle Raphtalia down it did give them a chance to recharge and eat.

"This is the longest I have used that form, in a day." Morgana commented on one of their stops. So, after checking his energy pool after the next stop they decided to walk the rest of the way. The town was a generic looking old town with wooden houses. The town's central square was bursting with activity as people walked about. As he walked toward the information center, he got the information from the blacksmith. As he approached Morgana jumped down from his shoulder to a nearby box while Raphtalia hung back.

Raphtalia examined the knife her master gave her while he talked to the information vendor. The knife was quite large in her hand yet felt natural, like it was meant for her hand. Well more like it was meant to be used by anybody it deemed worthy. Did she feel bad about not giving it back? Shaking her head, she saw her master turning back to look at her. Shoving the knife behind her back she looked over at the side where some kids were playing with an orange ball. Letting out a chuckle he reached over and picked up an identical ball and bought it for her! Pulling her hand away she held the ball while Akira and Morgana walked away talking about something. Holding the ball, she slowly followed behind while she felt the knife slide with her. It somehow had the ability to stay hidden on a person without hindering them in any way. Looking forward she saw that they were heading toward a mine. Stopping for a moment Raphtalia put her new ball into her bag before catching up to Akira who had dropped his travel bag before looking at the few items in the shed.

As she dropped her bag, she saw Akira looked forward as his shield changed again. Raphtalia knew something was up with her master, or what he was. He said he was just a Trickster but the demi-human knew there was more to it than that. Yes, she had no way of proving that he was who she thought he was but the idea was still there. "Come on Raphtalia we got work to do!" Nodding her head, the young slave girl followed the possible Shield Hero into the mine.

XXXXXXXXX

"So, we have no leads on the thief?" King Aultcray asked while sitting on his throne.

"No sir!" The soldier responded slamming his spear on the ground as he stood at attention.

"What items did he steal?"

"After taking stock we have multiple destroyed pots and various small items stolen. The major items stolen were the Shield Hero's bag, Files from the prison, and One filolial plush." The soldier listed off quickly as the king rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Did the Shield Hero think he could get away with this?" The king asked as he stood up only to get stopped by a shadow dropping down.

"I regret to inform you, your highness that the Shield Hero was in his room the entire night and did not leave once." The shadow said while kneeling in front of him. Seeing his sneer, the shadow continued, "I must remind your highness that without further proof or testimony that any attempt to further tarnish the Shield Hero's name will be reported to her highness."

"FINE!' The king shouted before turning to the guards, "Men find me the Shield Demon and bring him to me! He will answer for this crime, he shall not get away with this!" The guards saluted before all running out of the castle leaving the king alone with the shadow. "Don't worry I will have the evidence soon." Getting a nod from the shadow he fell back into the throne as his bones relaxed and his blood cooled.

"That could have gone better your highness." Turning he saw the Spear Hero walk in with his beloved Malty hanging off his arm. "Though I must ask what was even in that bag that Akira saw fit to risk his life to get back?"

"Oh, nothing important my dear Motoyasu. Just some cards and silly Knick knacks, I suppose they have sentimental value." Malty reassured him stroking his chest. "We had the bag checked over multiple times, and there was nothing special in it."

Nodding his head, the king looked forward, "It matters not a crime is a crime. I will see that he is punished."

 **AN: I LIVE! Holy crap writing multiple stories at once is harder than I thought it would be! Now to answer some questions. One: I thought of something for the gun that I think will work. But yes, Akira will be using it while Raphtalia will use the knife, I couldn't think of a work around that. Second: In case someone was asking where a certain Princess is well to quote a toad, they are in another castle. Third: As for how easy it was to get into the castle, from what the anime shows the guards kind of suck at their job most of the time. So, with that have a great day and come back next time to see Raphtalia and Akira beat up a bad dog. Also got a new word program so let me know if this is better.**


	6. Chapter 6

Akira walked into the empty shed with a whistle while feeding the shield some materials. Feeding it rope gave him a rope shield that had some good abilities along with an interesting ability for him to learn. The pickaxe gave him a shield that should help him mine more materials. "Well this should be good." Akira said happily standing up and dusting himself off. Turning he saw Raphtalia standing behind him looking ready to go while Morgana was relaxing on a log near the entrance.

"So we just hang around while you mine?" Morgana asked while stretching before jumping off the ledge.

"Sounds about right." Akira joked while they entered the mine. Looking back he had a joke on his lips that died when he saw Raphtalia frozen by the entrance. "Hey you okay?"

Raphtalia shook her head before charging forward with a determined expression clutching her hands around the pickaxe. As they walked down the dark mine Raphtalia kept gazing around almost jumping at any shadow she thought she saw move. She wanted to say something to her… friend(?) but her voice refused to work. The young Demi-human would open her mouth but only a quiet squeak would escape her mouth before she would shut it. They soon stopped as Akira walked toward a wall before feeling the wall and nodding. He stood there for a bit before turning toward them with a strained smile.

"So anyone know how to mine?" The leader of the Phantom Thieves asked as his right hand cat facefall.

"What do you mean?! Did you come in here without knowing how to mine?" Morgana yowled while puffing up.

"Well it's kinda what I do, I mean I went into most palaces with vague plans…." Akira said before noticing the widening eyes of the not cat. "You okay there Mona?"

The rouge was stalk still as they seemed to be going over things in there mind. "So when we went into palaces you made up most of the planes on the spot?"

Akira shrugged his shoulders, "Well what else was I supposed to do? Going into portraits, figuring out the spaceship, can you really blame me?" That along with him having to check the map constantly just to make sure some new puzzle didn't send him in the wrong direction.

"Um, what is going on?" Raphtalia asked confused her head looking back and forth between the two. Morgana seemed to still be frozen trying to processes what was said while Akira just gave her a smile.

"Don't worry about it, just some Phantom Thief things." Akira assured before turning back to the wall. "Wonder if I can use the Third Eye?" Following that train of thought Joker saw the wall change showing a grid like layout expand over the wall with parts of the grid shining. "Well nothing ventured nothing gained." With that thought in mind the Legendary shield shifted into its pickaxe form. While he went to town on the wall Raphtalia stood nearby trying to figure out how one went into a painting.

Time passed as Akira figured out how to work the wall to get more gems. The gems started to pile up as Akira took a break to wipe away the sweat running down his face. "I should have brought some work clothes." He mumbled to himself while leaning against the pickaxe.

"I'll say, you smell worse then when you and Skull spent all day at that gym." Morgana complained, "At least then you had deodorant!"

Akira was about retort when both of them stopped at hearing the crunching of rocks. Turning they saw Raphtalia frozen in place staring at a massive black two headed dog staring down at them with red burning eyes. The beast started walking forward as without a thought both Akira and Morgana were in their thief gear. "Looks like Orthrus," Akira mumbled while his shield shifted into its pipe form.

"Then we shall finish this quickly!" Morgana stated confidently hefting their blade on their shoulder. Before he could call his Persona one of the dog heads lashed out at the bandit. Morgana lept back as best they could hitting one of Akira's leg while the leader lowered the pipe shield. The head hit the shield with the a good amount of force causing Akira to let out a bit of force to not be pushed back. Channeling some of the power of his current Persona Joker was able to push the head back. Just as he raised his shield knocking the first head away he saw the other head lunging toward him. Having just raised his arm to push one head off he couldn't do anything as the second head neared.

"Oh no you don't!" Morgana yelled as their persona burned into existence as the trickster lunged forward while spinning around to kick the head. The head was knocked slightly to the side as the persona floated back toward Monoa. "He is stronger than expected."

Raising his hand up to his mask Akira gritted his teeth as he felt a chill go down his spine. "Doesn't matter," with a quick rip Joker tore his mask off as a small snowman with a bright blue hat appeared behind him. "Jack Frost, Bufu!" As he said this the two headed dog was flash frozen. The dog yelped as the ice attack hit and backed up. As it shook off the attack the dog let out a growl and glared at the two. "I don't think he is weak to ice…" Akira noted as he unleashed a much less effective attack against the dog. Hearing some noise from the side he slid to the side to see other two headed dogs walking toward them. "And he brought friends…"

While this was happening Raphtalia watched the fight hiding behind a rock. The demon that Akira had summoned vanished as the black clothed master doged to the side as one of the teeth grazed him sending a bit of blood flying out of the wound. Raphtalia could only stare in shock as some of it landed near her. The poor girl's heartbeat picked up as she could barely move while Morgana's Persona flashed into existence while a green glow mended the wound. The fact the wound was healed didn't matter, what mattered was that the dog monster was attacking the people who took care of her. The people who took her in and helped her up from the prison cage she was trapped in.

" _Are you content to sit on the sides?"_ A distinct voice asked like a parent would ask a child. " _Will you let them die so that you may live?"_ As this was happening the other dog charged forward trying to take advantage of Morgana being distracted. " _What would happen to you if they fall? Will you stay behind and die while not fighting back?"_ Was she going to do that?

For an instant an imagine of her parents appeared in her head. No she couldn't let that happen again! "...no…" Raphtalia whispered grabbing hold of the dagger Fallen Paradise.

" _Hmm… I can feel the beginning of your resolve but it is still not there, yet."_ The voice said and a bit of power flowed through her. " _Maybe soon we can form a proper contract."_ Her resolve hardened she ran forward as Akira threw out a Air Strike blocking an attack on Morgana. Raphtalia soon arrived the one attacking Akira and stabbed it in the side. The blade sunk into and through the beast like hot butter.

"Raphtalia!" Her master shouted as the dog turned toward the tiny demi-human who pulled the knife out of the side and stepped back ready for another attack. As she was standing feet firmly planted the slave girl felt someone bump into her. Noticing the cat ear in the corner of her vision along with the growl Raphtalia prepared for the worst. While they stood back to back the bleeding dog stepping forward let out a yelp while a hole was blasted into it followed by a large bang.

"Looks like guns are a go!" Akira shouted while using the temporary downed enemy dog. "Let's knock them down!"

"Right!" Morgana yelled while pulling out a slingshot. The second dog seemed to regain its senses and lunged forward only to be hit by two metal balls hitting both of its faces. "This should shut them up!"

As both of the dogs went down Raphtalia followed along as they surrounded the dogs with Akira and Morgana pointing their weapons at them and Raphtalia pointing her weapon at them. Akira seemed to stare at them before giving a nod as him, Raphtalia, and Morgana took a quick jump back before launching themselves at the downed enemy.

Then just like that the battle was over and the dogs didn't move. "Been awhile since we did that…" Akira said while letting out a chuckle as his clothing went back to normal.

Before Morgana said anything Raphtalia pulled him into a hug with Akira as she wept. "Whoa, hey, everything's okay!" He mumbled into her hair due to turning into a cat. Akira just pulled her close and stayed silent not needing her to say anything.

They stayed like that for awhile before Akira, using a strong Persona, managed to heft Raphtalia, who was still clinging to Morgana, to his back where he then grabbed his bag while he left. It didn't take long for him to reach the village where he got a few looks due to his cargo. The inn manager just stared dumbfounded when he passed toward his room. His bag made a large thump when it hit the ground while the bed creaked when all three of them landed on it.

"Is it just me or has Raphtalia been gaining weight?" Akira mumbled into his pillow.

"AKIRA!" Morgana shouted drawing his gaze toward the cat, "you should know better then to talk about a woman's weight!" Seeing Akira's flat stare the nobel phantom thief held for a bit before coughing. "So I didn't get a chance to notice but how do our guns work here?"

Akira shifted a bit getting comfortable. "Well when I used my gun it took both a bit of health and MP." Moving his hand forward Morgana saw Akira touch the shield which popped out his gun, The God of Destruction. "I tried feeding it to the shield but it didn't work. I think it is due to being a different type of weapon than a shield." That or how it was an item created in the Velvet Room. "I think it might have some limit on ammo but with how little HP I have it might be best to use it sparingly."

Morgana seemed to look at something before recoling. "Yeah just checked my health…" Putting a hand on his friends head Akira let them fall into comfortable silence.

Right when they were about to turn in for the night Akira felt and heard a rumble on his back. Turning his head slightly he saw Raphtalia pressing herself into him. "Looks like we're grabbing some dinner."

"See if they have any fish!" Morgana cried out as Akira detached himself from the Demi-human before walking out of the room. The cat moved to get comfortable on the bed only to feel a hand on them. "Huh?"

"Um… Morgana-san?" The young slave mumbled getting a confused noise they continued. "Can I ask a question?" Upon receiving an affirmative answer they tried to ask their question but stuttered a few times. "Is Akira-sama the Legendary Shield Hero?" Raphtalia finally managed to get out. Morgana was about to say something but Raphtalia kept going. "I mean I saw his shield transform and he is really strong. So why wouldn't he tell me that he was the Shield Hero? Shouldn't he proud to be the Shield Hero? Why would he buy a slave?" The onslaught would have continued if Morgana hadn't put their paw over her mouth muffling her.

"Whoa slow down, I'm awesome but even I need time to answer some questions." Waiting a moment he saw Raphtalia get the idea and calm down. "Alright your first question: yes he is the Shield Hero but that is his job not who he is, which is what you asked. As for why he didn't tell you later or why he bought you, well lets just say we haven't had it easy since coming here. You see Akira was _**falsely**_ accused of a crime so we had to find other ways to fight. That is where you come in, we got you to fight for us because, sadly, we hadn't gotten our ability to rebel back yet." Taking a moment Morgana turned into his thief form and smiled at her. "But now that we got it back I think things are going to get better!"

Raphtalia gave a weak nod as Akira walked into the room whistling a tune. Looking at the bed Akira just shrugged before putting the container he was carrying on the table. "If you two are done with whatever you are doing I got some victory food here." With the mention of food Raphtalia was quick to place herself near the table and smile happily as Akira took of the top of the container.

As they sat around enjoying the meal while they occasionally talked. "So are we staying in the town for long?" The young racoon asked tilting her head. She had wanted to confront Akira about being the Shield Hero but had decided against it.

"Maybe one more day just to get more gems…" Akira said rubbing the back of his head while thinking about it. "We do need some more money."

"Ahh the troubles of being a morally right thief." Morgana moaned while munching on some fish. "We could easily rob the castle again if what Akira said was right." Akira just nodded his head while thinking about all the things around the castle he had seen. Looking at his shield Akira intended to bring up his inventory to see if he had stolen anything only to see it empty.

"Huh," The thief mumbled confused before going through different menus to see if he could see what happened. The answer came in the form of his Skill Tree having expanded. "Dang looks like I got some more shield to master."

"Same old, same old." Morgana mumbled with a smile at him. It would have hurt, not really, but the food trapped in his whiskers diminished the effect.

"Well the king probably won't miss this stuff." Akira jocked while popping a bit of food in his mouth.

 **AN: Well new chapter, next is the wave. Now I got a question, incase you didn't notice Raphtalia has the potential to awaken a Persona now my question to you is should she? Now if she does I have two different ideas on her Persona if she does get one, either Mavia or Boudica.**

 **Next the gun, I think it is to diffrent from a gun for the shield to use. So I came up with what I think is a good compromise. Now as for how it can work although it should be just a module like the knife?** _ **Magic**_ … **Honestly if you want a better explanation I can get you one if you want in a further chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

Akira watched Raphtalia fight against the porcupine enemy while pulling out a needle in his shoulder. "Should we help her?" A voice asked beside him. Despite asking this Morgana was laying on the rock still in his cat form. Though if one looked closely they could tell his muscles were tensed and ready to leap into action.

"No she seems to have it handled." Akira said while feeding the needle into the shield. Looking over the new shield that was unlocked Akira compared it to the other shields he had unlocked. It was weaker in defense compared to most of his other shield but gave a bonus to attack. Though when he gave it a bit of thought Akira really didn't need to focus on attacking seeing as he could just summon a persona to beat whatever he was fighting.

"So can we talk about it?" Turning to face Morgana Akira just rose a brow asking what he was talking about. "Well it's not everyday you see a ten year old turn into a fifteen to sixteen year old." Oh that.

"Yeah we really should have read a book about Demi-humans." Akira muttered to himself. When they noticed the growth in Raphtalia they had hunted down a book on Demi-humans and found out what happened. Both were very thankfull that her clothing grew with her. "Though I guess it explains why she had been eating a lot recently."

Almost as if hearing this Raphtalia swerved her head toward them while the two thieves acted innocent while Morgana turned into his thief form and launched a ball at the monster. The injured monster let out a yelp and Raphtalia took the opportunity to stab the creature killing it. "Good job Raph," Akira praised with a smile as he walked forward.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to it sooner." The racoon demi-human mumbled while looking down.

"Don't worry your still learning." Morgana said while turning back to his cat form. As all this was going on Akira had taken out a spare knife he started cutting up the monster while feeding small bit to the monster. "Now let's start heading back to the castle town."

With that suggestion they started walking forward. They had decided against using Morgana's vehicle form due to its large size and the possibility of the spys spotting them. Besides it wasn't very far and he was in a mood to walk.

XXX

"This is quite nice." The old man said while looking over the leathers they had collected. "Yeah you could use these and the old sword for a trade in."

"Thank you." Akira said with a bow. "So what kind of weapon-"

"Mr. Akira I think we should get some armor for you and Morgana." Raphtalia said interrupting him. "With the Fallen Paradise, and my current I have more than enough attack power but you two have started getting hurt." That was true…

If they had been prepared they could have brought their own equipment but the only personal equipment he had was the gun and knife. Currently the knife was with Raphtalia while he still had the gun, which was currently the only other thing he could still use beside the shield. Still needed to look into that one.

So taking a little bit to think about Akira nodded his head. "Yeah I'll take some better armor and," Akira stopped before taking a chance to look around using his Third Eye, "do you know anyone who can make transforming clothes?"

"Huh I don't see anyone in your party that can transform so I don't get why you would need it." Before Akira could respond though the shopkeeper moved over to the side. "I'll give you a recommendation though, vist the old magic shop lady she should know something about what you want."

Taking a mental note of that and then to look for the magic shop Akira gave a nod. "So what do you got for me?"

"Well the best I have for you is this." The owner went to pull out some chainmail before seeming to think better of it and slowly but it back. "On second thought I don't think you would want that."

"You thought correctly." Akira said with a nod.

"Well the other thing I got is this." With a wave he showed a set of armor. "I could shave some of it off to make some nice Barbarian Armor."

"No," Akira flatly said. "I don't want anything weighing me down in battle." Even shaving down most of it it would still be uncomfortable for someone of his build to move in it. "Hmm, do you take requests?"

"What you got in mind?" So they spent a while talking about what they had in mind. So with that decided they headed out to the witch's shop.

"You sure your going to be okay with that?" Raphtalia asked tilting her head.

"Yeah, I think it will look good." Akira said while going in his head the clothes he had ordered.

"Okay, so what is with the transforming clothes?" Morgana hopped up on his shoulder and gave her a flat look. "Oh, right. So do you think we can really find transforming clothes."

"I think so…" Akira mumbled while making sure to occasionally glance around. "Man they are getting persistent." The ninjas that usually tried following him were really starting to tail him.

"They must be getting annoyed with how we are avoiding them." Morgana suggested while also glancing around. "The king must be going crazy with how little he sees of us."

"Nice to know he misses us." Seeing the shop he was, hopefully, looking for. With a glance around the group of three walked into the shop.

"Welcome." The owner of the shop said happily while walking out of the back of the shop. The women looked like a typical short old witch, even wearing a witch's hat. "What can we do for you today." Good seems she hadn't heard or didn't believe the rumors about him.

"Yes I would like to inquire about transforming clothes." The trickster questioned while walking up to the counter.

"Transforming clothes? That isn't a request I hear very often and can be quite costly." The owner informed while seeming to examine both him and Raphtalia.

"How much?" Was he wrong? Was this some type of trick.

"Well that is largely dependent on how big we need to make it. I would recommend seeing a taylor to get me the measurements, then I can give you an estimate." Well that made sense but he will have to do a bit more research to make sure he wasn't getting robbed.

"Okay, do you have any recommendations?"

"I have one but she is a bit…" The owner seemed to take a moment to look for the right word, "eccentric."

She sounded interesting so with a nod he was given the directions and after following them found himself in front of a plane looking store. Heading in the the saw rows and rows of clothing. After waiting a bit and not seeing an employee Akira was about to yell out.

"Oh customers!" A happy voice yelled out while charging forward. "Hello how can I help you?" The women looked young and much like the store, plane and average.

"I was wondering if I could get some measurements-" Akira found himself cut off as the woman burst forward and started measuring him. "No not for me it's for-"

"Oh, a racoon dem-human!" Now she was measuring Raphtalia, who looked frozen by the sudden invasion of her space. "You look way better than the other racoon spices I have seen." While taking a mental note of that Akira cleared his throat again.

"It's for me." Morgana proudly declared while transforming. Morgana was standing on the desk and had taken a proud pose as if posing for a picture.

The women had frozen where she was about to grab the poor slaves tail. Slowly as if afraid to scare the phantom thief away she knelt down. "I'm making clothes for you?"

"Um, yes?" Morgana asked trying to keep his pose and confidence up.

The women let out a happy noise while jumping up. Within seconds she had the tape measure around the thief. "Whoa you are fast with that thing."

"Stay still." Morgana froze up at her command. "Show me your other form." Doing as he was told in a burst of blue fire she started measuring his cat form. "Interesting it seems you have some form of transforming clothes, so you must want some new ones."

"Yeah some more sturdy ones." Gaining back some of confidence Morgana took a regal sitting pose. "One that shows off my full glory."

"Yeah I get what you are saying." The women nodded while Akira leaned over and started whispering to Raphtalia. Getting a nod Akira cleared his throat.

"Morgana do you mind if we leave and go check the church."

"Oh to go check that hourglass thing?" Receiving a nod Morgana just gave a wave. "Yeah sure I'll catch up."

Waiting one more moment Akira walked out of the room followed closely by Raphtalia. As they walked down the road Akira saw a few people stare at them and mutter to each other. Honestly it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. As he ascended up the steps of the Church Akira stopped and looked at the map of the church. "Looks like it is this way." Turning Akira caught sight of a glaring sister. "Can I help you?" Seeing that she was caught the sister straightened and walked away.

"Come on Mr. Akira let's go." Raphtalia said while tugging on his shirt. Following along they walked forward as they found a giant room in which the center stood a grand hourglass with falling sand. "Whoa."

Walking forward Akira felt his arm tug forward as the shield let out a beam of light. When the light hit the hourglass a countdown timer appeared on the shield. "Well that is convenient." The countdown was set for two days from now, hopefully both his and Morgana's new armor would be ready.

"Well look who it is." A condescending voice called out. "Here I was thinking you would never show your face." Turning Akira saw Motoyasu walk forward followed by his, all female, party.

"Ahh, a good day to you Kitamura." Akira said with a bow. "I would love to stay and chat but I am needed elsewhere."

Moving Akira made to leave as Raphtalia made to follow but was stopped on the way out. "What a beautiful women." The spear hero said with a happy smile while grabbing her hands in his.. "Why would a women such as yourself be traveling with a dirty thief like him."

Akira could only stare at the man with a flat stare. "Um," Raphtalia looked at a loss for words at Motoyasu's forwardness.

"Sorry to cut this short but me and her need to head out." Stepping forward Motoyasu let go of her hands and shot him a hard glare. Using the chance Raphtalia walked behind him, staying as close as possible. While heading out Akira stopped and nodded towards the other two heroes. "See you all soon."

Not given the chance to respond the heroes watched the shield leave. "Damn monster, I should have saved that girl!" Motoyasu ground out while slamming his spear's but down.

"To think he would show his face now of all times." Itsuki said almost sadly. "I was having such a good day."

"Well at least we know he isn't such a coward that he would hide from his duties." Ren mumbled, "Though I must wonder where he has been hiding or what he was doing."

"Practicing his thieving abilities." Motoyasu huffed out before looking at the confused faces of the other two. "Oh right, you two wouldn't know. It happened not that long ago..."

XXXXX

Akira kept his head high as his thoughts ranged about what he would need for the coming wave. "Ah, Mr. Akira," Turning he saw Raphtalia, "about the other heroes." Looking at her Akira waited patiently. "I don't care what they or other people say about you, I believe in you."

"Thank you," Akira honestly said, if a bit confused at where this was coming from. "Now let's go retrieve Morgana from his biggest fan."

XXXXXX

It was coming soon now Akira thought to himself as he looked down at the clock counting down. Letting go of his current Persona Akira felt around for a good all around Persona for what might come next. Hmm, maybe Phoenix might do, he doubted most things here had a resistance to nuclear.

"Behold the Most Gallant Thief!" A voice said beside him. "The one who saves the depressed in the east and helps the needy in the west." Turning Akira saw Morgana toss back their cape. "Yes I Morgana am here to help you!" Their new clothes closely resembled a black tux with a cape fluttering behind it. It more resembled Zorro, his first Persona, but trimmed down on the frills.

"Hurry," Raphtalia flatley cheered for him. "Thank you for saving us from the waves!"

"You are the Hero this world needs but not the one it deserves." Akira stated while standing up. He now wore a long blue coat with a tan clothing underneath along with a blue slash and two belts. The defense rating wasn't that high but it gave really good speed and mobility.

"You know it!" Morgana cheered while turning back towards the other two. "Now we remember the plan right?"

"Protect the village while the other 'heroes' fight the big bad baddie?" Akira asked mockingly.

"Right," Morgana gave a nod before turning toward Raphtalia. "I know it might not seem far to have you being the one to evacuate the villagers but it is the most important role."

"No, I get it." Raphtalia said with a smile, "In fact I am quite thankful for what you two have done for me." Raphtalia looked like she was about to continue before the scenery blurred around them.

"We can talk more later!" Akira shouted while looking around. "It seems we are near that mining town!" As they were going to head over there the other heroes charged past with their party members following behind.

"They are like clockwork with how predictable they can be." Morgana said almost sounding sad.

"We are wasting time here." Raphtalia ground out before pointing towards the town. "Let's go."

Watching her go Akira ran behind her as the blue flames transformed him into Joker. "You think she is mad that she didn't get to say what she wanted back at Castle Town?"

"Joker the heart of a woman is one that is delicate as it is mysterious." Morgana nodded sagely, "So yes I'm sure she had something important she wanted to tell you and is now mad that it was interrupted."

Citizens ran in terror as monsters came running from the forest. Zombies waved their swords around trying to hit anything while Interdimensional Insects dove from the skys. Siblings, two sisters ran together before the younger sister tripped over a rock. Looking up she saw a zombie standing over her as it's sword descended to end her life. Before her sister could throw herself in the way a green transparent shield appeared between them while a racoon demi-human lunged at the monster with a drawn sword. The sword ran through the monster with ease as her full weight came at him. The zombie went down with ease as another adventure appeared.

"Raphtalia remember the plan." The black haired man said while drawing a strange weapon that made a loud popping noise. A thump was heard as an insect fell from the sky. "Please follow her to safety!" The little girl was pulled to her feet by her sister.

"This way!" Raphtalia shouted as the siblings followed the demi-human while she tore through more monsters. "Stay safe."

"Don't worry," The black haired man said with a large amount of confidence that made them feel relief. As they ran they heard a cry that sounded like a spell, properly was judging by the white bluish explosion that went off behind them.

They traveled through the village collecting more and more people, one of which told the adventure the location of the safe house. So on their way to the safe house they came across a large mass of Zombies. "Damn," The racoon girl muttered while pulling out a sinister feeling dagger. Before anything could happen though they heard a voice.

"Maguru!" A torrent of wind was sent up from the ground hitting all the zombies as a figure jumped down in front of them. "Fear not citizens for I," with an amazing twirl the figure turned around as their cape danced in the wind, "Morgana have come to rescue you!"

Hope bloomed in her chest as the cat like man turned around and dogged out of the way of an axe strike. "To strike when I have my back turned!" So with that they charged into the fight striking at the zombies.

"Come on he has this!" The adventure said while striking down a few insects came close. So they kept running toward the safe house. As they neared the safe house the adventure threw open the door. "Quick get inside!" So they did as the door shut they gathered together to wait the wave out. "Don't worry we will protect you."

 **AN: Well this took longer than I thought. Anyway next chapter wraps up the wave and gets to what inspired this fic, well what got me thinking about it.**


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